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The Cider House Rules
Homer is an orphan who was never adopted, becoming the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physician. But Homer yearns for a self-chosen life outside the orphanage. What will Homer learn about life and love in the cider house? What of the destiny that Dr. Larch has planned for him?
1999 · Directed by Lasse Hallström · 126 min · Drama · Screenplay in the scene database · 6 frames
Tagline
A story about how far we must travel to find the place where we belong.
Plot
Homer Wells grows up at St. Cloud's, a Maine orphanage directed by avuncular Dr. Wilbur Larch. Dr. Larch is addicted to ether, and he secretly performs abortions. Conditions at the orphanage are spartan, but the children have love and respect from their caretakers, and they are like an extended family. Older children, such as Buster and Homer, look out for the younger children, and in particular care for those who are sickly. This includes Fuzzy Stone, who was born prematurely to an alcoholic mother and suffers from a respiratory disease, thus spending most of his time beneath a plastic tent ventilated with a breathing apparatus. Each night before sleeping, Dr. Larch says to the children "Good night, you Princes of Maine! You Kings of New England!" as both an encouragement and a kind of blessing.
Homer, the oldest of the orphans, is very intelligent, helpful, and even-tempered. He was returned to St. Cloud's twice by foster parents. The first family felt Homer was too quiet (due to orphanage babies soon learning that crying is pointless). The second beat him. Due to Homer's nature, Larch trains him in obstetrics and abortions as an apprentice, despite Homer never having attended high school. Homer disapproves of abortions, and although Larch has trained him, Homer refuses to perform them. After several years, Homer is very skillful and confident in performing obstetrical duties. Larch wants Homer to take over after he retires, but Homer feels it is impossible, as he lacks formal medical education and he wants to see the outside world beyond the orphanage.
One day, Dr. Larch performs an abortion on Candy Kendall, who is accompanied by her boyfriend, Wally Worthington, an Air Force pilot on leave from service. Wally's mother, Olive, owns the Worthington family apple orchard estate. Wally returns to his World War II service, but Homer is exempt thereof, diagnosed by Dr. Larch as a heart condition patient. Homer leaves to live as a worker of the estate's Cider bunkhouse.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: John Irving
- Cinematography: Oliver Stapleton
- Edited by: Lisa Zeno Churgin
- Music: Rachel Portman
- Production design: David Gropman
- Produced by: Richard N. Gladstein, Alan C. Blomquist, Leslie Holleran, Lila Yacoub
Cast
- Tobey Maguire as Homer Wells
- Charlize Theron as Candy Kendall
- Michael Caine as Dr. Wilbur Larch
- Delroy Lindo as Arthur Rose
- Paul Rudd as Lt. Wally Worthington
- Jane Alexander as Nurse Edna
- Kathy Baker as Nurse Angela
- Erykah Badu as Rose Rose
- Kieran Culkin as Buster
- Kate Nelligan as Olive Worthington
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: Miramax, Nina Saxon Film Design, FilmColony
- Budget: $24,000,000
- Box office: $88,500,000
- Themes: based on novel or book, orphanage, pregnancy, drug addiction, cigarette, cider, maine, orphan, incest, drug overdose
More by Lasse Hallström
On this film
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